From Mixtapes to Sex Tapes: The Year in Music 2012

From Mixtapes to Sex Tapes: The Year in Music 2012

Did you hear John Mayer is doing the Devil's duet with Katy Perry? Did you hear Kim Kardashian's rapper boyfriend has an unreleased sex tape? Did you hear Taylor Swift is now a Kennedy? Yeah, OMG—we heard it all. One question, though: Did anyone hear any music? We did, and we're here to catch you up on all the hits, comebacks, albums, and bands you missed in 2012

This year, the line between music stardom and tabloid celebrity disappeared. Only problem: It came at the expense of the music itself. We used to wake up banging Kanye beats; now we wake up to TMZ's KimYe tweets. The exception came from King Jay and Queen Bey, who handled the shitstorm around their pregnancy regally, controlling the narrative from baby bump to first photos. Then, two days after baby Blue was born, Jay released "Glory"—a beaming hip-hop lullaby about his pride and joy. It was perfect: The tabloids were clawing for a pound of Jay's flesh; instead he gave fans a piece of his heart.—Will Welch